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We Shall Use My Largest
Scales! Notes from the Outer Rim #2 by Cap'n Andy Published 6/9/02 What does it really mean to bring balance to the Force? |
As I watched Episode II, Mace Windu crystallized a thought
that has been growing in my head for a while. The prophecy of the Chosen One says that
there will be a Chosen One and his presence will bring balance to the Force ... but what
exactly does bringing balance to the Force entail? It's not very clear, is it? Stupid
prophets....
So, how does one bring balance to the Force? Yoda mentions in Episode II that the Jedi are
becoming increasingly arrogant. They're not just protectors of the innocent, they seem to
be starting to feel that their power makes them better than those they protect. One could
see that as an imbalance in the way the Jedi have always operated, and assume that Anakin
was sent to teach them all humility and put the Jedi back on their proper path.
That's certainly the nicest interpretation. However, it's got holes in it I could walk an
AT-AT through. Anakin is a poor role model for humility. In Episode II, we see him using
the Force to fly a ball around the room (presumably, he's bored) and to float a pear over
to his plate, cut it, and then send it back so his girlfriend can eat it. Look, if I were
a Jedi, would I do stuff like that? Sure! I've often wished for Force powers just so I
could turn off the lights without getting out of bed or get the remote without standing up
... but I'd also use my hypothetical powers to get dates ("You are free
Friday night ... ") and throw annoying people against a wall, so I'd go Dark in a
hurry. Seeing Anakin use the Force for frivolous things didn't sit right with me one bit,
and doesn't fit in with the interpretation of the prophecy. Next!
Well, there's thousands of Jedi, and two Sith. In this interpretation, the Light and Dark
sides of the Force are completely unbalanced. To bring balance to the Force, then,
Anakin's presence would somehow have to both diminish the abilities of the Jedi and
increase those of the Sith, or he would have to fall to the Dark Side and take a great
deal of the other Jedi with him, in order to balance the scales. And no, what he actually
did doesn't qualify as balancing the Light and Dark sides ... Anakin's actions bring the
Dark Side into dominance over the Light. Same problem, different sides.
But since I mentioned it ... let's talk about just what Anakin actually ends up doing. He
kills all the Jedi, until only Obi-Wan and Yoda are left, and they only survive by hiding.
He later kills Obi-Wan, Yoda dies of old age, and then he kills the Emperor, dying himself
in the process. When all the dust clears, his son Luke is the only Jedi, Light or Dark, in
the galaxy.
If we pause after the Jedi Purges and before the events of Episodes IV-VI, another
interpretation of bringing balance to the Force presents itself, and it is by far the most
disturbing of them all. Was this the Force's will, to have all who drew upon its
power destroyed? Harsh. Assume for just one moment that neither Vader, nor the Emperor,
nor Obi-Wan, nor Yoda was using the Force ... and it probably happened pretty often and
for more than a moment, as none of the four really had cause to use it often (apart from
random chokings by Vader). For just that one moment, nobody was using the Force. Isn't the
zero point also the point of balance?
And for the final interpretation, let's unpause time now and watch the events of the EU
unfold, as Luke finds potential Jedi just about everywhere he looks and the Jedi begin to
spread throughout the galaxy once more, although never with the same power that they once
had (tell me Luke could easily absorb or deflect Force Lightning with one hand and I'll
laugh in your face). Remember the posters for Episode II? "A Jedi shall not know
anger. Nor fear. Nor love." In the New Jedi Order, there's no such restriction. Jedi
fall in love and get married just like normal people.
And here is the interpretation I like the most. In Old Republic times, I'm guessing that
on civilized worlds (read: not Tatooine), blood tests are done on children at birth, and
the ones who show Jedi potential are sent to the Jedi Temple for training. They never know
their families and lead chaste lives. That's not the natural order of things. In the New
Jedi Order, potential Jedi are found by chance or because they make themselves known.
Nobody is trained who does not want to be trained. The Jedi know who their families are
and are free to marry and have children. That is the natural order. Now, remember the
Force is created by life, and it binds all living creatures together. Couldn't such
unnatural behavior by the users of the Force in the "prequel era" be considered
"unbalanced"? I certainly think so, and so that's my best guess. Through
Anakin's actions and the actions of his son, the Force has put its users back into the
order of nature, and things are balanced once again.
As always, I welcome your emails and opinions. That's it for now, until the next time I
write another one of my Notes From the Outer Rim!
Discuss this article on our message boards.
(Cap'n Andy has read every NJO book so far. When he's not reading, he's usually playing games, messing around on his computer, or roleplaying. And he's seriously stoked about Galaxies coming out soon.)